One Question And A Whole Lotta Answers
by nicky-ji
Summary: After the death of her friend and fellow FBI trainee, Gaia calls her old friend Ed to help her cope. [POST FEARLESS FBI 4]
1. 1 Waiting For A Friend

WAITING FOR A FRIEND

GAIA MOORE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE. No, not just uncomfortable but awkward with a dollop of stupid mixed in. There were three reasons for this. Number one: there was the clean black suit and smart ankle boots she was wearing. While this outfit had been prefect for her meeting with Agent Malloy an hour earlier, it looked out of place amidst the trucker gear everyone else seemed to be wearing. Number two: she was wearing layers of cover-up to disguise the bruise on her cheek, which she had obtained during training. Also her hair was falling out of her once sleek ponytail. Oddly it was not this that was making her feel uncomfortable/awkward/stupid. She was used to looking like a disaster victim. Looking a mess had become her 'signature style' of sorts while she was in her teens. Gaia snorted into her drink at this thought. Back in high school the girls had thought that always wearing dusky rose lipstick was a 'signature style'; not looking like a homeless person.

In truth it was number three that was causing her uneasiness. It was also the same reason why Gaia was currently sitting alone in Johnny Ray's, her eyes flicking to the door every five seconds.

She was waiting for a friend she hadn't seen in three years.

She was waiting for Ed Fargo.

GAIA SWISHED THE REMAINS OF HER NOW FLAT COKE AROUND THE BOTTOM OF HER GLASS. However her mind was not on her unfinished drink. She was too busy remembering the phone call she had made to Ed a couple of weeks ago.

_"Hi, Ed. It's Gaia."_

_"Gaia? As in Gaia Moore?" asked Ed's disbelieving voice._

_"How many Gaias do you know?"_

_"Jeez." Gaia heard Ed chuckle. "I am surprised to hear from you. I thought you had moved to Iceland or something."_

_"Definitely or something," Gaia replied, briefly looking out of the window at the Virginia landscape._

_"How are you?"_

_It was a simple question for Ed to ask, but for Gaia it required on a complicated answer. Finally she settled on replying with an "alive"._

_"Well, that's a start."_

_"I suppose. How are you?"_

_"Actually I'm pretty good. I graduated from NYU a few months ago with a degree in sport and exercise. I now have a job at a local health and fitness centre."_

_"That's fantastic Ed!" Gaia said with a smile that nobody could see._

_"Thanks." Gaia could almost hear him blush with gratitude. "What have you been up to?"_

_"Well I...I joined the FBI," Gaia said, unfortunately aware of how silly she sounded._

_"The FBI huh? That means you have to stop trouble instead of causing it now right?" Gaia could hear the amusement in Ed's voice._

_"Yes it does mean that. Though to be honest I am finding that a habit hard to break," Gaia admitted._

_"I'm sorry to hear that." The sincerity in his voice made Gaia suddenly realise how much she missed him. How much she missed him and his honestly and his selflessness. How much she missed his friendship._

_"Ed, can I ask you a favour?"_

_"You don't want me hit someone, do you?"_

_"No, nothing like that," Gaia replied. "Ed, could you come visit me?"_

It was because of that one question that Gaia was sitting on a barstool, wishing that her drink was a beer and not a Coke.

_"COULD YOU COME VISIT ME?"_

It was because of that one question that Ed was parking his rust bucket of a car in front of some restaurant/bar called Johnny Ray's. Though if Ed allowed himself to be honest with himself, it was because of _whom_ had asked him that question. Only a month ago his own sister had asked him to visit her, but he had said no. No, there was no way he was hauling his ass all the way from New York to end up in some dump of a town that she now called home.

But he had done it for Gaia. And why? He had heard nothing from her in three years. Then she called out of the blue and he immediately decided to travel across several state boundaries to see her. As Ed climbed out of his car he realised that he would always have a soft spot for Gaia.

Ed sighed as he remembered watching Gaia disappear from that alley. Disappear from his life, for what he thought would be forever. He had tried to forget her. He had tried to move on. He had tried to feel happy for her as she was finally getting the fresh start she needed and deserved. But in the following weeks and months he had started to slowly slip into depression. He often wondered if it was possible to drown on your own tears. He had been a positive person. Or at least he had _tried_ to be a positive person. But Gaia's departure had left him broken. The fact was he missed her. A lot.

To take his mind off Gaia, Ed had started skating again. And thank god for the moment he decided to do that. It had been like therapy. Ed had almost forgotten the rush that skating could bring him. Skating again had also been why Ed picked his particular degree course. And it was also why Ed and Kai had tried dating again. Besides both liking skating, with the knowledge that he could no longer be with Gaia at all, Ed was able to focus fully on Kai. Their relationship had been good, but by the end of his second year at university the excitement had fizzled out and they both decided it would be best if they were just friends.

But then Gaia had phoned. And now here he was, wondering in what ways had she changed and in what ways was she still the same. There was only one way to find out. As Ed walked towards the door we wished there were more films about meeting long lost loves, because right now he really needed some advice on how to handle this reunion.


	2. 2 Looking Three Years Into The Past

LOOKING THREE YEARS INTO THE PAST

WHEN GAIA WAS A CHILD HER FATHER USED TO TEACH HER THINGS LIKE ADVANCED CALCULUS, FRENCH AND KUNG FU, WHEREAS HER MOTHER USED TO TEACH HER THAT IT WAS POLITE TO SAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU, AND RUDE TO STARE AND POINT AT PEOPLE. If her mother was right then Gaia was definitely being rude, as she couldn't stop staring at the man who had just walked through the door.

She felt like she was looking three years into the past as she stared at Ed; he looked exactly as she remembered. The only difference was that his hair was vaguely neater and he was wearing a dress shirt, which gave the impression that he was leaning towards a smart-casual look instead of skate-rat these days.

ALL THE AIR IN ED'S LUNGS PUFFED OUT WITH ON LOUD "OOF" AS GAIA JUMPED ON HIM. As Gaia wrapped her arms around him, Ed let a small smile spread across his lips. While having Gaia hug him was unusual, it certainly felt nice. A tingle shot through Ed's skin as Gaia whispered "I missed you" against his neck.

"Did I just step into an alternate universe?" Ed half-joked.

"Excuse me?" Gaia pulled back and stared at Ed with eyes that were glistening with unshed tears.

"The Gaia I knew would never hug me, especially in public. She also would never wear a suit. _You're wearing suit_." Ed's eyes widened in surprise as he finally let himself look at Gaia. Apart from the blood shot eyes and slightly muzzled hair, she looked incredibly smart.

Gaia shyly pulled on the hem of her shirt. "I know," she said with shrug. "I wish jeans were part of the FBI's dress code. Not only are they more comfortable, it would have saved me a lot of shopping."

Yet again, his lips lifted into a smile. Ed found it reassuring that Gaia hadn't turned into a shoe obsessed Carrie Bradshaw during the past three years. It filled him with hope that apart from the FBI thing she was still the same girl he knew and loved back in New York.

GAIA CRINGED INWARDLY. Her voice warbled stupidly every time she spoke. To make things worse, she had to blink heavily every few seconds to stop herself from crying. Gaia had expected to get emotional over seeing Ed again, but she hadn't bargained on getting _this_ emotional.

For the past twenty minutes, Ed had been telling her all about his time at NYU. She had felt a pang when he mentioned Kai, but quickly pushed the feeling aside and replaced it with a content feeling of knowing that Ed had been happy.

Ed paused to take a swig from his lemonade. "Tell me about your time at university. You said you went to Stanford, right?"

"Yeah, I went to Stanford for three years. I studied Chemistry," Gaia replied, managing to sum up three years in three seconds.

Ed leaned forward slightly on his stool and raised one eyebrow. "And...?"

"And what? That's it."

Ed made a sceptical face as he leaned back, causing Gaia to feel a strange aching in her chest. "That's it? Nothing interesting happened to you?"

Gaia shifted through all her memories of Stanford. Most of them were about studying. "A guy called Kevin tried to blow up the class on graduation day," she replied with a shrug.

Ed choked on his drink.

Wiping lemonade from around his mouth, Ed spluttered "What happened?"

"I threw him off the building and then he was arrested by the FBI."

Ed slammed down his glass on the bar, causing his remaining drink to spill over the wood surface.

"Oh. Never a dull moment in your life, is there?" Ed laughed weakly, his eyes flickering between Gaia and the bar. "I think I need another drink."

Gaia mentally hit herself over the head. She had been around Ed for less than an hour and already she was letting him get sucked into her world of violence and danger. Gaia had promised herself years ago that she would not let anything harm Ed. While telling him about Kevin may not have put him in immediate danger, Gaia worried that by having Ed around she was placing him in the path of all the other Kevins in the world.

_Just like with Jake._

Bile rose in Gaia's throat. Thinking about Jake automatically called forward thoughts about Will. Both had died because of her. Because they cared for her and she cared about them.

_Enough Gaia. You called Ed here to mend this cycle. Now order him a damn drink!_

Gaia motioned for a bartender to come over.

She felt her lips instantly bend into a smile as Kelly's (one of her very few friends) form hoved into view.

"Hello Gaia. I didn't know you were here tonight," Kelly drawled in her Virginia accent. "And who is this fine looking man you have with you?" Kelly's eyes fixed into Ed, who immediately began to blush under her stare.

"Kelly, this is Ed. Ed this is Kelly. She runs this joint."

Ed, who was trying to ignore his bright red cheeks, said, "Your bar is very nice, Kelly," in a cheery and friendly tone.

"Why thank you. Now Ed, I'm guessing you're not a trainee along with Gaia here as I haven't seen you round here before. So tell me, how do you two know each other?"

Wanting to remove Kelly's focus from Ed, Gaia replied to her question. "Ed and I went to high school together."

Kelly raised a questioning and curious eyebrow. "Oh, really?" Before she could say anymore, she was summoned back into the kitchen. Quickly saying goodbye, Kelly rushed off to talk to the chefs.

Gaia considered apologising to Ed for Kelly's keen interest in him, but Ed spoke first.

"Kelly's your friend?"

"Well I let her take me out for a day of shopping and beauty treatments, so yes, I would say she was my friend." Gaia didn't know whether to smile or come over with a sudden case of denial when she remembered that day. She had needed a distraction but Kelly had failed to fully take Gaia's mind of the mess that was her life.

Ed's face split into a grin. "Shopping? You _let_ her take you _shopping_?" Ed shook his head in mock disgust. "My my Gaia. You have lost your standards. Once upon a time if someone had just mentioned shopping, they would have ended up with a broken nose!"

"What? Like the one you're going to have if you don't shut up?"

Gaia marvelled at the contentness she felt. Bantering with Ed was something she hadn't realised she had missed. Gaia was considering teasing Ed at bit more when a large yawn escaped her mouth.

"Tired?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I just came from work. You know I finally understand why my father was absent so much during her life: I doubt his bosses ever let have any time off the job. It certainly feels like that working for the FBI. Everything's pretty chaotic," Gaia replied. "Also doesn't help that I haven't been sleeping well recently."

Gaia felt her blood run cold as Ed looked at her questioningly. She couldn't believe she had just said that.

_Great. Just great Gaia. Go ahead and tell Ed that you have been having nightmares about Will's death._

But there was no turning back. Besides, Gaia reasoned with herself, maybe it would be a good idea if she talked about it with a friend. Before Ed could say anything, Gaia said, "Let's get out of here."

ED FELT ABUSED. During the last half-hour he had been asked endless questions, had his identity checked in several databases, and had the entire contents of his bag and car examined. The FBI personnel had then taken his fingerprints and a photo of him. There had also been a lot of prodding and poking involved, which had left Ed with the belief that he now had at least five bruises. By the time they had handed him a temporary pass, Ed wanted nothing more than to be a million miles away from their prying eyes and jabbing fingers.

Feeling a strong sense of relief, Ed followed Gaia down the corridor and out through a thick metal door into a courtyard. The courtyard was bordered by blank, multi-storey buildings and dotted with some potted plants. Ed imagined that in the daytime it would look a bit like a university campus.

Gaia - who had already strode across the courtyard at her break neck speed - was waiting for him in front of another heavy looking door. The dim light cast from the building's windows highlighted the gold in Gaia's hair. It was only then that Ed realised that her hair was now shorter than it used to be. Before, it hung half way down her back. Now it fell just below her shoulders. It's new length helped to make her look more sophisticated.

Ed followed Gaia through into the next building. The only sound was his trainers squeaking on the plastic floor and the clip-clop of Gaia's boots. However, Ed was certain that if he listened closely enough, he could also hear the sound of his heart beating.

ALL EYES WERE STARING AT HIM. Earlier Ed had just felt nervous, but now he felt petrified. While the uniform corridors and stairwells had been relatively empty, everyone that Ed had passed had stared at him as if he were a lab rat; just there to be observed. Having Gaia's friend Kelly taking a keen interest in him had been awkward enough - and rather embarrassing - but this was just painful.

Ed briefly wondered if this was how Gaia had felt in high school. Then he realised that the woman walking towards them was staring at Gaia; not him. Obviously she was still getting unwanted attention.

Gaia stopped mid-stride and glanced at the woman up ahead, who promptly sped up and scuttled past. Once the woman had disappeared, Gaia reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a key. She then took the final few steps to a nearby door and shoved the key into it's lock. Gaia turned the handle, causing the door to click open.

Ed followed Gaia into the room. Once inside he let his eyes take in its contents. There were two beds: one unmade and one covered in stuff. Next to the door was a desk, with a laptop and a selection of books on top. There was also a window with the curtains still drawn across it, a large wardrobe and two chests of drawers.

"Erm, do you have a roommate?" Ed asked, his eyes drifting from the bed that Gaia was now sitting on to the one overflowing with clothes.

"No." Ed saw a muscle twitch in Gaia's jaw. "Not anymore."

Ed didn't know which was worse, the angry look she had been wearing out in the hallway, or the bitter expression she wore at that moment. He tried to think of a way to change the subject and make Gaia smile like she (almost) had done back at the bar. However Gaia beat him too it.

"I hope you don't mind the mess. It seems being tidy is not in my genes."

The memory of each of Gaia's past bedrooms back when she lived in New York flicked through his mind. He clearly remembered that when Gaia had shared a room with her distant cousin Tatania, her side of the room had been a rubbish trip while Tatania's and been clean and neat.

A smirk pulled at his mouth. "You won't be Gaia otherwise."

Gaia gave him a little nod, then fixed him with an unwavering gaze. "No I wouldn't be Gaia," she said slowly. "But right now I'm not so sure I want to be Gaia anymore." Ed stared at her, wondering where Gaia was going with this conversation. She seemed to inwardly collapse under his stare. Ed watched as she briefly looked away from him and sighed. "There's something I need to tell you."


	3. 3 Displaying Emotion

DISPLAYING EMOTION

SHE WANTED TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST WITH HIM. In the past Gaia had told Ed numerous lies and avoided telling him the truth at all costs. But now that she had called him all the way down to Virginia, Gaia felt like Ed deserved the truth. The whole truth.

"There's something I need to tell you." Gaia watched Ed as her words sunk into him. As she had predicted he looked somewhat taken aback and very confused. "Actually, there's a lot I need to tell you, but most of it can wait."

Gaia pulled in a deep breath whilst her eyes remained fixed on Ed. She silently noted that his jaw was clenched with a nervous worry as she slowly exhaled. Not wanting to make either of them wait longer than necessary, Gaia swallowed heavily than began talking.

"A couple of months ago, one of the other trainees was killed." Gaia winced slightly as her voice cracked on the last word. Normally she hated displaying emotion, but for once she just needed to articulate the memories and feelings that were swimming about her mind. Or otherwise she knew she would drown in the image of his bleeding body.

"No. That doesn't even begin to cover it. He wasn't killed. He was _murdered_. And it was all my fault. I could have stopped it. If I had just stopped being an idiot..."

Gaia broke off mid-sentence. Her thoughts were coming out in a jumbled messed. What she needed to do was start at the beginning.

"I was put in charge of the Lollipop Murderer case after I discovered one of his victims," Gaia restarted, carefully measuring each word as she said it. "It was a bitch of a case. There just wasn't enough evidence to find the real killer. But Kim, he...Kim came up with a theory on who the killer was. A stupid theory, but after a while I started to believe it was true. Everything fitted with his theory." Gaia paused, sniffing loudly in the brief silence she had created. "Kim thought Will was the Lollipop Murderer. And I thought so too." The tears she had lamely been trying to hold back began to leak from her eyes. "I was too busy confronting him to stop the real murderer from murdering him." Wiping her hand across her face, Gaia choked out the end of her story. "He died right in front of me."

The bed sunk as Ed sat down next to her. Gaia briefly looked into his sad eyes before her face was buried in his embrace.

ED HUGGED GAIA TO HIS CHEST WHILE SHE SHOOK WITH SILENT SOBS. Slowly her body began to still.

"I'm sorry," Gaia sniffed as she pulled away. "I didn't mean to cry all over you."

"It's okay," he replied automatically. Tentatively, he looked into Gaia's eyes. For the few seconds she let him hold her gaze - apart from the tears - he could see the deep-set sadness in them.

"Were you friends with Will?"

She nodded whilst whipping her nose on her sleeve. "He was my boyfriend."

_Boyfriend._

The word reverberated around inside his skull before sending shock waves through his memory: her story about Will was a complete deja vu of what happened to Jake.

CONFUSED DIDN'T QUITE CUT IT. Uber-confused was a better description for what she was feeling. In the blink of an eye - literally - Ed's expression had switched from looking sober to looking like he was the verge of tears.

"Ed, what's wrong?" Gaia asked, finding it slightly ironic that only a few seconds ago Ed should have been saying the same thing to her.

"What?" Ed spluttered while his eyes leapt with surprise. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

Gaia fixed her eyes on his, and leaned forwards as if she was about to tell him a secret. "Ed, you're a bad lair. So spill."

"It's silly," Ed murmured, and shifted away from her. But Gaia continued to stare at him, drilling her determined curiosity into him with her eyes. "It's... I thought moving away from New York would allow you to have a fresh start. Start a new life and all that. But instead it seems your old life has followed you here." He broke off for a moment, deep in thought. "I just wish that you got the chance to have the new life you deserved."

It felt as though her insides had been doused with cotton candy: Ed was always thinking of others before himself. That was a major reason why she had become his friend in the first place and why she wanted to renew their friendship now.

A smile spread across her lips. "I have started a new life. Besides there are some things from my old life that were pretty great. And if I get the chance, I'll make them a part of this life too."

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who left feedback for parts one and two. Any comments about this part will also be greatly appreciated.


	4. 4 A Nightmare Free Night

A NIGHTMARE FREE NIGHT

IT WAS ROUGHLY 3AM BUT ED WAS WIDE-AWAKE. When he had first lain down, he hadn't been able to get comfortable. After about an hour of tossing and turning, Ed had inspected the lumpy bed only to discover that someone had stuffed a book called Advanced Alogorithims under the bed. However, now it was his mind and not the bed that was keeping him awake. Thoughts were zooming round his head like flies feed on caffeine

After their tear jerking talk, Gaia had steered their conversation in a different direction and told him all about the Lollipop Murderer case. Ed wasn't sure if he was just being dumb, but he was sure that there was a gaping big hole in the middle of her story. However Ed knew Gaia well enough to not question her story. It was obvious that the hole was there because there was something she didn't want to tell him, and at that moment Ed didn't want to say anything that would upset Gaia. It still hurt him to watch her cry.

It was nearly midnight by the time Gaia's story was frequently broken by yawns, prompting Ed to suggest that they go to bed. Immediately Gaia nodded, before shoving all her stuff off the spare bed onto the floor and giving Ed directions to the bathroom.

By the time Gaia stumbled back from the bathroom herself, Ed was already laying on top of the spare bed ready to fall asleep. Gaia dumped her clothes on the floor, and then flopped onto her bed, her eyes fluttering closed.

When she gave no signs of moving, Ed took it upon himself to get up and turn off the light. As soon as he flipped the switch, the room was instantly plunged into darkness. From the other side of the room, Ed heard Gaia make a grateful noise that was between a mumble and a sigh.

Ed closed his eyes as he lay back down. He was tired after having spent all day travelling and now wanted to fall into a deep sleep. However there was one nagging thought that was keeping his brain awake.

"Gaia, why did ask me to come here?"

"Because I needed a friend," replied Gaia's drowsy voice.

"What? You don't have any friends here?"

Ed cringed slightly. He had meant it as a joke, but when Gaia didn't reply immediately he worried that she had taken him seriously.

"No, I do," Gaia mumbled eventually. "But you're my best friend."

Those few words had left Ed dumbfounded. He couldn't believe Gaia still thought of him as her best friend. For the one year they had gone to high school together, they had mostly been at war with each other. Though it had felt like they had been friends for years, the truth was that the times they had been speaking to each were few and far between. By the time Ed had thought of a reply, Gaia's soft snores had begun to fill the room.

Sighing, Ed rolled onto his side and gazed across the room to Gaia's still sleeping form. Despite the tangled hair and the drool leaking from her mouth, she looked every bit a goddess. Her hair glowed in the darkness and her T-shirt was pulled tight over her body, showing off the defined curves of her body. As Ed's eyes drifted across her face again, he noticed the slight smile curving her lips. Ed felt a content feeling spread through his heart at the sight. Even though she had been crying her eyes out earlier that day, it appeared she had finally found some inner peace.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WEEKS, GAIA DRIFTED BACK TO THE WORLD FROM A PEACEFUL SLEEP. Ever since Will's death, her dreams had starred an angry Will and Jake with guest appearances from guilt inducing Ella, Mary and even her mother. But instead, last night she had had a nightmare free night. Now she just hoped she would have a nightmare free day.

Gaia slowly unstuck her eyelids. Instantly, her eyes were burnt by the bright light that filled the room. Using her hand as a shield from the light, Gaia peered around the room. Everything looked messy, pale and still.

Even Ed did.

Gaia felt her throat dry. She had told Ed all about Will. About Will's death. It had been hard to relay that night but Gaia knew that if she didn't tell Ed then him being here was pointless. She needed Ed to be here to help her heal. Just like when Mary died.

_Mary._

Gaia had been through a similar experience with Mary all those years ago. As part of a game of truth and dare, Mary had dared her to tell her about her mother. Dragging up the memory of her mother's death had been excruciating. But at least it had lifted a weight off Gaia's shoulders; she no longer had to deal with the pain alone.

And the same had happened last night.

Feeling vulnerable but empowered, Gaia sat up and stretched her arms. Peeling off the hair that had plastered to her face, Gaia focused again on Ed. He looked tired with dark circles under his eyes. Deciding to leave him sleeping, she swung her legs off her bed and began searching her room for some clothes.

THE SOUND OF A DOOR SLAMMING ECHOED IN ED'S EARS. Pulling his pillow out from under his head, Ed then shoved it over his head. Ed felt as if he had run a marathon while trying to complete a maths test; his entire being ached with exhaustion. And noise was not helping him relax.

Ed stayed still for a few minutes before realising it was no use: he was wide-awake. Ditching the pillow, Ed scrambled up into a sitting position. The first thing he noticed was that the bed opposite him was empty. While he knew there were several possible reasons for her absence, Ed still felt a tinge of worry. Last night Gaia had opened up to him. Big time. And now he just hoped that by displaying her heart, she had pushed herself off the emotion cliff.

"You're awake."

Ed's head snapped round to see Gaia standing in the doorway. He noticed that she looked awkward as he replied, "Yep, I am."

Gaia shuffled over to her bed and dropped the stuff in her arms on her bed. She fidgeted with the T-shirt she had slept in for a few moments then turned round and looked Ed directly.

"Once you're dressed we'll go out for breakfast. I know a dinner that sells the _best_ muffins," Gaia said. "You'll love them."

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you for all the feedback. Special thanks to Mollie; I have now altered chapter two so that Gaia is less hostile towards the other trainees.


	5. 5 Sugar Induced Silence

SUGAR-INDUCED SILENCE

THAT MORNING SHE HAD BEEN GAIA, VERSION: AWKWARD. By telling Ed about Will, she had not only exposed her heart to someone; she had also given him an all access pass to her thoughts and emotions. And Gaia hated that. But after some thought she had reasoned with herself. _She_ was the one who had decided to mention Will. Not Ed. And she was just going to have to deal with that and its consequences. And step one in her plan "to deal" was to refuel on sugar. Because sugar was a cure all.

Back in high school this had involved wolfing down a box of Krispy Kremes. Unfortunately unlike New York where Krispy Kremes could be bought on every street, in Quantico they were sold only in one shop. After discovering their limited supply, Gaia had decided to branch out into other sugar stuffed foods. Which had lead her to Fancy Food's muffins.

The moment they entered Fancy Food, Gaia knew that taking Ed there was a good idea. She watched as his face broke into the first smile of the day and his eyes misted over at the sight of rows and rows of pastries and cakes. Leaving Ed drooling behind her, Gaia walked directly to the muffins and let her eyes move down the familiar list of flavours.

"I don't know which one to choose."

Gaia nearly smiled, knowing perfectly how Ed felt. "I can help with that."

ED WAS IN FULL AGREEMENT: THIS PLACE REALLY DID SELL THE BEST MUFFINS. 'This place' was a small eatery located on the outskirts of Quantico that went by the name Fancy Food, and was what Ed could only describe as a gourmet dinner. All the food looked mouth-watering good. In fact Ed had been unable to pick a muffin. Luckily he had been rescued from his debate on what type of chocolate by Gaia who ordered both of them a triple chocolate muffin.

When Gaia had handed him his muffin, replacing its spot from the counter with a couple of crumpled dollars; he had just stared at it for a few moments while the phrase 'small mountain' drifted through his mind. Then he bit into it. Instantly the sweet, cocoa taste filled his mouth. Swallowing down the gooey goodness, Ed gave Gaia the thumbs up. This was so much better than his breakfast the day before.

Ed spilled into a sugar-induced silence as he slumped back into his plastic cushioned chair. The bubble of happiness in his chest swelled as he glimpsed the slight upward curve of Gaia's lips. Like for him, food was the way to her heart. Ed let his mind sink into memories of warm morning bagels as he sipped on his three-sugar and cream coffee.

This morning was total bliss.

WITH A SKY HIGH SUGER LEVEL, GAIA FELT READY TO FACE THE DAY. And ready for step two. Gaia figured that coffee and muffins would out Ed in a complacent mood, leaving her free to talk at him with no backchat. The perfect situation for what she wanted to say.

"Ed..." Gaia said, then choked. It was no use. She had planned an entire speech to say to Ed. She had planned to tell him more about Will so that he would fully understand what she was feeling. But the innocent interest in Ed's face was threatening to drag up her just eaten breakfast. Looking down, Gaia tried again. "Ed, I, um, I'm sorry for dumping all my emotional garbage on you last night. But I, um, I promise that from here on out it will all be fun stuff. No heavy stuff."

Gaia swallowed hard. She had chickened out. Like always she had shut away her emotions and thrown away the key. Looking up from the floor and her discarded self respect, Gaia wasn't sure if she saw a flicker of disappoint in Ed's eyes or it was just the bad fluorescent lighting. Either way a big grin was soon in place along with a hearty reply of, "Cool. What fun stuff do you have planned?"

"Um, I, dunno," Gaia stuttered, suddenly feeling flustered. "There's a movie theatre nearby. And there's a museum that's quite interesting - I recently went there with Kim."

Gaia continued to make suggestions, but whilst they all seemed like reasonable things to do, none of them seemed like Ed-and-Gaia things to do. Gaia was going through her mental list of places to go when the perfect place to go hit her - the park.

THE DRIVE TO THE PARK WAS SATURATED WITH SILENCE. The instant Ed had climbed into the car, he had switched on the radio, a sure-fire sign that talking was prohibited. Gaia tried to inject some sound - through the raging tones of a soft rock band on the radio - by pointing out important buildings and people hot spots as they drove past. But all her attempts at conversation were meet with an automatic reply from Ed. His replies weren't rude, but they no longer held any warmth. Without seeing a thing, the bridge between them had crumbled.

The car crunched to a halt as Ed pulled up beside the only other car in the car park. A deafening quiet descended on the car, as Ed killed the engine along with the radio. But Gaia didn't care. Because now the only thing he had to listen to was her voice.

"What's wrong?"

Ed turned his head towards her, but his eyes were directed out the window.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Really? It's hard to tell as you didn't say anything during the drive here."

Ed eyes snapped to hers.

"I was concentrating on driving. I'm not familiar with these roads. Besides, Green Day was playing on the radio, and everyone just has to listen to them." Ed's eyebrows and lips quirked upwards as he spoke, his voice tripping over seriousness into silliness.

"Yeah right. Sorry."

Ed gave her a sharp smile and began joking about various rock bands. Gaia had to admit that the idea of everyone worshipping Limp Bizkit by sacrificing biscuits was funny, but it didn't dull the fact that something had shifted between them for the worse.


	6. 6 Obvious Distress

OBVIOUS DISTRESS

THE PARK WAS THE ANTIDOTE TO WASHINGTON SQUARE. No graffiti, no chess tables, no broken benches, and no drug heads. Instead, there were lots of trees and a pond swarming with ducks and children. Going there had been like stepping into an oasis: green, lush and clean. Ed had loved it. But Ed didn't feel happy. While their view had changed, his and Gaia's relationship was still stuck back in New York. And Ed wanted to move out of that place.

After wandering around the park for a couple of hours, they had climbed back into his car and driven around, looking for somewhere to eat lunch. Eventually they had agreed on a diner that sat on the edge of town. Ed's first impression was that it was bright and brilliant. His second impression was that it was crumbling at its foundations.

"Ed, are you going to eat your chips or just keep on stabbing them? 'Cause if you don't want them I'll have them."

Ed snapped into focus. Giving his head a little shake to loosen his thoughts, he pulled his plate closer. "Stay away from my food or I'll stab you."

Gaia snorted in response and raised her eyebrow. Ed choked on his chip. Her expression was the one that clearly said, "Oh really?" He had lost count of the times of numbers she had directed it at him after a stupid comment, or at a thug with a loose tongue. She had even made that expression at Jake when he had challenged her during PE.

_Jake._

Ed could feel his chip surfacing.

_Will._

Had she ever made that expression at him? Ed didn't know. In fact he knew nothing about the girl opposite him.

ED SLAMMED DOWN HIS FORK.

"You can't just tell me about your dead boyfriend then suddenly start talking about Quantico's town hall. That's not fair."

A chip fell from Gaia's fingers, slapping down onto the sticky tabletop. Her grey eyes widened, as she said his name in a pleading tone.

"No Gaia. Shut up and listen. When you phoned me I thought we were going to fix our friendship, but instead we've built some sort of facade!"

Ed flattened his palm on the table top, pressing it down hard. Somehow the movement made him feel held up and strong. He could see a man glaring at him from across the diner, but Ed didn't care. He didn't care that everyone could hear every damn word he was saying.

"For the first time you opened up without any prodding or poking from me. And call me stupid but I thought that meant you would actually tell me things now!"

Gaia's head snapped up; her eyes darkened.

"I _have_ told you things."

"Yeah, sure," Ed scoffed. "You told me about Will. But what about your roommate? I presume you have one. And what the hell do you do as a FBI? What about Jake?! You know, I had to find out about him from your dad!"

Gaia blinked.

"WHAT?"

Ed's outburst had shocked her. But now she felt stunned to her seat. What did her dad have to do with anything?"

"My dad...He what?"

Gaia felt herself crumple as she watched the edges of Ed's face soften and sag, sadness dulling his eyes and voice.

"On Prom night, after you left, your dad, he turned up at my apartment asking where you were. He told me about Jake..."

A ringing replaced the sound of Ed's voice. His face began to sway in front of her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Since leaving New York, her father had been the only person she kept in contact with. They phoned each other regularly, and even met up occasionally, but during all their conversations her father had never once mentioned Ed, let alone having spoken to him. How could have her dad not have mentioned this?

"I figured you left New York because of what happened to Jake. Because of just what happened in New York. I don't blame you for wanting to leave after everything."

Gaia opened her eyes to look at Ed again, only his face was blurred by tears.

THE CUFFS UNRAVELLED UNDER HER FINGERS AS SHE PULLED ON THE LOOSE THREADS OF HER SWEATSHIRT. Tugging on one of the threads, Gaia watched as the seam came undone. The sweatshirt was old but held together in one piece of ages. It was only now that it was showing the wear and tear of the past four years. Letting the material drop from her fingertips, Gaia began reliving her memory in a carefully measured monotone.

"Skyler Rodke and his father had developed a drug a make feel fearless. Problem was that the drug had major side affects. He, erm, he has leaked the drug onto the street to test those affects, but, he um, he obviously thought being turned into a psycho wasn't a major issue."

"The droogs were taking his drug."

Gaia turned to see the hard look in Ed's eyes. The red light from the diner across the street bounced off his cheek, colouring it with anger and shame. Slowly she sucked in some air and blew it out through her teeth. "Yes," Gaia confirmed, the word feeling heavy on her tongue. It had been because of the droogs that Ed had ended up in hospital along with Kai. Gaia felt her heart ache at the memory, but she squashed the feeling. She needed to ignore her emotions or otherwise she would not be able to finish.

"I decided to stop the Rodkes. I told Jake what I had decided, what I had planned. I also told him that I didn't need his help to stop Skyler. But he didn't listen." Gaia paused, soaking her stray tears with her sleeve. "He wasn't meant to be there. I wish he had just listened to me. Then he wouldn't have died!"

Slamming her eyes shut, Gaia tried to trap her multiplying tears behind her eyelids. But as a sob shock her body she knew she had lost the fight. The last coherent thought she had was that she had held Jake as he died, her sorrow streaming down her face.

HER FACE FELT SORE, STICKY AND STIFF. Her bum felt numb from sitting on the kerb. And her soul felt exhausted.

Gaia and Ed had been sitting on the side of the road for around 15 minutes, 15 minutes that had been filled with Gaia digging up anguish and crying out her nightmares. Gaia couldn't remember when she had last - if ever - relived so much of her painful past within a 24-hour span.

Despite the obvious distress her story had caused Ed, he had remained solid and a comfort as she cried. And for that Gaia was thankful.

"You could have told me all this three years ago. You know, you might have found that talking about it at the time helped, instead of.. bottling it up."

"Maybe," Gaia replied with a shrug. Shifting slightly, she gazed at Ed's guarded profile. "You wish I had told you."

"I would have preferred to have heard it from you and not your father," Ed admitted with a grim chuckle. Sighing, he turned to look at Gaia. "But it doesn't matter now."

Gaia nodded, though she wasn't sure why. Looking across the road at the diner, Gaia couldn't help but wonder how their normal midday meal had turned into a feelings fest.

"One of the reasons I decided to date Jake was that he could take care of himself. I knew that by being around me he was likely to end up in a fight, and so knowing that he could hold his own meant I didn't have to worry about him getting hurt. I guess that's also one of the reasons I dated Will.

"And now look. They're dead, whereas you, an ex-cripple, is still alive."

ED FELT STUNNED AS A SHAKEY LAUGH SLIPPED FROM GAIA'S LIPS. He couldn't think of one funny thing about what Gaia had just told him. And as Ed Fargo was king of lightening the mood, his only conclusion was that Gaia had gone mad.

Flicking her eyes towards him, Gaia chuckled, "I think I preferred our no questions policy."

Ed frowned for a second, then found himself chuckling as well. The noise felt fake in his throat, yet he knew it was real.

"If I remember correctly, that lasted for about a minute," Ed replied, his mind flying back four years. "I couldn't stop myself from asking if you got into fights everywhere."

"Unfortunately I think the answer is still yes," Gaia said with a sad smile. She looked small, sitting on the kerb with her knees drawn up to her chest - like a young child - her hair flapping in the breeze. Ed suddenly felt the need to wrap his arms around her. But he didn't get the chance.

Gaia began to climb to her feet, brushing the dirt from the seat of her jeans. Casting her clear eyes down at him, Gaia said, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Willing obeying, Ed got up and followed her to the car.


	7. 7 Ghost Buster

GHOST BUSTER

ED PACED BETWEEN THE BEDS FOR A THIRD TIME. Since arriving back at the FBI base, his body, along with his mind, was stuck in fifth gear. A lot had happened in the past 24 hours and Ed was beginning to feel the strain of processing it all. And to multiply his pain, worn out flashbacks and shut out memories were snapping around his brain and rushing through his mind.

Ed paused. His fist had slammed onto the desk without him realising. Ed sighed, letting the tension drain out through his aching palm and into the solid wood. With another sigh, Ed flopped backwards onto the bed and shut his eyes. Despite feeling the need to shout and hit something - _anything_ - again, Ed knew it wouldn't help.

The problem was he wasn't sure if he was mad at himself for letting Gaia drag him back into the past, or mad at Gaia _for_ dragging him back into the past. Maybe he was just being naive, but Ed had thought that Gaia's phone call and signified a new era for them, one where they could have a normal friendship instead of one full of drama and lies. _Okay Ed, give it 'til the end of the day. Then decide if being here is truly worth it._

A KNOCK BROKE ED'S WEB OF THOUGHTS. Lifting his head off the bed, Ed stared at the door. Gaia had only gone to the bathroom a couple of minutes ago to "freshen up", and Ed very much doubted that she would have forgotten she had left the door unlocked in that time.

A second knock prompted Ed off the bed. For a second his hand hovered over the door knob, a million thoughts flying through his head, then pulled the door open. Standing the other side was a young man with sleek black hair and a slightly surprised expression. In a split second, he had recovered with a polite smile in place. "Oh, hi. Do you know where Gaia is?"

"She went to the bathroom," Ed responded, warily wondering whom this man was. As if reading his mind, the man extended a hand towards him with the words, "Sorry, I don't think we've met before. I'm Kim."

GAIA STARED AT HER REFLECTION. Her skin was scrubbed clean and her hair was smoothed back into a slick ponytail. But the most noticeable difference in her appearance was the smile that was trying to take up permanent residence on her face. She wasn't sure how Ed had done it, but somehow he had shifted some of the emotions that were normally shackled to her legs. While talking to her therapist had helped Gaia sift through her mental trash, it had not helped her properly dispose of any of it. Ed might not be a knight in shining armour, but he was one damn good ghost buster.

_Now all I have to do is make sure he never finds out or he'll never shut up about it._

KIM WAS PLEASANTLY PLOITE. He was also a professional perfectionist, passively passionate and every other adjective beginning with 'p'. For the past 10 minutes Kim had essentially given Ed a summary of life as a FBI trainee, from the field training down to the friends he had made. And to Ed it sounded a lot like high school, except that Kim was currently describing a forensics lesson with uncharted enthusiasm. But then again, Ed thought, Kim probably had had a normal high school experience with mathletes instead if thugs and football practice instead of spinal surgery.

Ed stopped staring at the poster on the wall as Kim halted mid-flow. Following Kim's line of sight, Ed saw Gaia standing in the doorway, a slight surprise blinking across her face.

"Gaia! I hope you don't mind me barging in. I came to see if you wanted to get some lunch, but I'm guessing you already have plans."

"Yeah," Gaia said her wide eyes sweeping between Ed and Kim. "Maybe tomorrow?"

A ripple of hunger rolled through Ed's body with a roar that he was surprised the other two didn't hear. "Actually," Ed spook up, "I feel in the mood for a second lunch."

The flicker of an expression ghosted across Gaia's face, a flicker that Ed was sure was embarrassment. But in true Gaia fashion, her face was soon blank and she was ready to go back out the door. "Yeah, I guess our first lunch was quite quick."

THE CAMPUS CAFETERIA WAS CROWDED WITH CLATTER AND CHATTER. Ed relaxed back into his stiff chair, finding the noise oddly comforting as conversation whirled around the table. In the space of time it had taken Ed to eat his pie, Kim had already finished telling Ed about the forensics class and then told him all about the criminal psychology course that one of the Agents was organising for him to go on. It appeared that Kim was a psychology expert, though he admitted that he found it hard to read Gaia. Without thinking, Ed blurted out, "And I thought I was the only one!" Luckily Kim laughed.

"Okay, I think I have talked enough now, so I think it is your turn to say something. All I know about you is that you were friends with Gaia in high school. Like, what are you doing now? I'm guessing you're not here to join the FBI."

"I work at a sport centre near to where I live. Though, I'm actually going to start a physiotherapy course soon, so I'll only be working part-time there instead of full-time from now on."

"So, definitely not joining the FBI," Kim said, sounding vaguely impressed through his mouth-full of sandwich.

"Nope. Kicking butt was never my sort of thing."

The sound of Gaia's chair scraping across the floor filled the gap in the conversation. "Sorry, but I really want a drink. Do either of you want anything?"

Ed shook his head. As Gaia walked off, Ed wondered if somehow she had realised that he had really meant; _kicking butt was never my sort of thing, but it's Gaia's._

"I'M SURPRISED GAIA ASKED YOU TO COME HERE."

Ed snapped his head around and stared at Kim. "Why?" Ed frowned, his poorly suppressed curiosity emerging. Kim's statement appeared appeared out of the blue, and Ed's mind was slowly trying to catch up with his trail of thought. Then his mind swam straight into a rock. "Wait. Do you mean because of what happened to Will?"

Ed instantly felt like biting off his tongue as Kim visibly flinched at the sound of his former fellow trainee's name.

"She told you about him." Ed could feel Kim's eyes burn into him. With each passing second, Ed's skin blistered with embarrassment and guilt. Less than a minute ago they had been happily chatting. Now there was a sombre silence. After a forever, Kim said, "Actually I was thinking about what happened with Catherine."

"Catherine?"

Kim's eyes narrowed. "She didn't tell you about Catherine." Ed watched as Kim removed his scorching gaze from him and looked across the cafeteria at Gaia's distant form. Slowly Kim's shoulders sagged. "Catherine was Gaia's roommate. She, she was our friend. Or so we thought. Turned out that she actually part of a terrorist group and was here to act as a spy." Kim slowly turned back round and looked at Ed. "The worst betrayal is that of a friend."

Ed's stomach squeezed. _Catherine_. Just another name to add to a long list already including Tatanyia and Sklyer.

SHE COULD FEEL THE SMILE TRYING TO STEAL CONTROL OVER HER FACE AGAIN. And to make matters worse, her cheeks were blazing bright red due to her happiness-induced-embarrassment. She was sure it wasn't possible, but somehow Ed was managing it. He was seamlessly fitting into her new life, almost as if she had never left him behind in her old life. She also would never have thought that an ex-skate rat would get along with a criminal psychologist. But apparently he did. Gaia's only conclusion was that maybe Ed was more than just a ghost-buster.

Gaia unscrewed the cap off her bottle and took a long sip of the cool liquid inside, hoping it would dampen the fire on her face. Gaia quickly checked that she didn't look too red or smiley in the metal of the chill cabinet, then began to weave her way back towards the table. "I hope you two have been playing nice without me," she joked pointlessly as she neared them.

Kim turned round and looked up at her with his face stretched into a smile. "We've been fine and dandy thanks." The smile on his face faltered, then disappeared completely. "Sorry to break up this party, but I have a class to get to. Bishop wants some of us to do extra bomb training."

"Oh okay." Gaia felt disappointment settle in her stomach. The three of them had been getting along on well for the past half-hour. "Maybe we'll see you again later."

"Yep, maybe." Kim stood up and nodded at Ed. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

And with that, Kim briskly left them alone again. Gaia wouldn't have minded being able to spend some time with just Ed, but something about the look Ed and Kim gave each other when Kim said goodbye made her feel like she had missed something important. However, the sight of Ed's bright smile dissolved all her thoughts.

"So, got any plans for us? 'Cos I was thinking we could maybe finish the tour we started this morning."

"Nope, no plans," she replied, feeling the smile she had been trying to hide break free.

Ed's grin grew wider.

THE FLOOR REVERBERATED WITH HER EVERY STEP. Normally she blocked out the clunk-clunk of her boots on the solid wood. However, that evening, she was finding it hard to do, as every sound seemed amplified in the almost deserted museum. Quickening her pace - so that she would be able to stand still sooner - Gaia rounded the corner into a long room. Instantly a content swelled inside her. She and Ed were standing in the museums' art gallery. Every inch of the walls were covered in paintings, photos and pastel pictures. Maybe it wasn't as good as the Met in New York, but what was special was that every picture had been done by someone in Qunatico.

"Cool," Ed murmured, looking at a photo of a boy skate boarding.

Gaia smiled a little. "You still skate?"

"You still kick ass?"

Gaia's smile widened. "I'll take that as a yes." Wondering over to where Ed stood, she joined him in staring at a portrait of a young girl. Something about her expression made her look sad yet hopeful at the same time. As she had just survived a horrible event. Maybe like herself, she was grieving for a friend.

A cough from behind them tore Gaia's focus from the girl's crystalline eyes.

"Sorry," an old man wheezed, whom Gaia instantly recognised as one of the curators, "But it's closing time."

Gaia said "goodnight" to the man (who was called Bert according to his nametag) and retraced her steps out of the museum, with Ed merrily chatting about the various exhibitions as they passed each one. Outside the sun had set, leaving long shadows and a sharp wind in its wake. Brushing a clump of hair behind her ear, Gaia turned to Ed. "So, what did you think of the grand tour?"

"It was fun," Ed replied, as they began to cross the car park. "I had fun." The smile dropped from his face. "Crap. My car."

Gaia hurried across the tarmac behind Ed. The front passenger window had been smashed, littering the ground with glittering glass shards. Gaia bent down and picked up one of the pieces. Sighing she dropped it back down, letting her mood smash along with it.


	8. 8 It Was About Revenge

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this part is so late, but I have been very busy with school work over the past few weeks.

IT WAS ABOUT REVENGE

IT COULD HAVE BEEN A RANDOM ACT OF VANDILISM. Even in a city like New York with every entertainment, kids felt the need to smash things to pass the time. So, in a town such as Quantico - where it was possible to see everything and do everything in a day - Gaia would not be surprised if the kids had a similar hobby.

But she knew her luck: she didn't have any. Gaia could feel her flight or fight instinct begin to kick in. Turning towards Ed, Gaia knew she was going to have to suppress the first part of her instinct, the part she normally submitted too.

"Ed, we should go." The words formed roughly in her throat as she began to brush the broken glass away from the car with her boot. "We need to go."

Ed nodded, a resigned look resting on his face, before reaching towards his car door.

"You're not going anyway."

Ed froze. Gaia snapped her head round. _Definitely not a random act of vandalism_.

The gruff voice belonged to one of three men wearing dark clothes and day old stubble. Gaia's eyes flicked from one to the next - each one looking smugger than the one before - but something about the man on the left bugged her. His straight nose and strong jaw looked maddeningly familiar, but Gaia could not place him; her brain just slammed against a major roadblock.

Gaia refocused, the glint of metal demanding her attention. Knives. Each one was holding a knife. Now things were complicated. "Ed, don't move," she ordered her voice strong. Three armed men she could handle. Ed getting hurt she could not.

Adrenaline was already buzzing through her veins, awakening her muscles and spiking her skin. Taking a step towards the men, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her badge. "I'm Agent Moore. You mind telling me who you are?"

The smirk on the guy-with-dark-eyes' face stretched and his eyes sparked with amusement. "Oh, I think we mind."

Dread threaded through her nerves. They knew who she was. This wasn't about getting a kick; it was about revenge.

It all fell shattering into place.

The men were part of Socorro. She now clearly remembered Marsh ordering one of them and knocking down the others.

Gaia shook her head slightly, throwing her memories back into the holes they were trying to crawl out from. She beat these thugs before and she wasn't going to allow o few bad memories stopping her doing it this time. Beside she had stopped zillions of bad guys without help, why would she need a fellow FBI now?

She stepped forwards.

Dark-eyed-guy swung out sharply. Gaia ducked, then sprung back up thrusting her elbow into his face. She heard him groan.

Thugs 2 and 3 charged at her. Immediately switching into auto, she knocked Thug 2's arm wide, sending his knife clattering under a nearby bin, then - using an old time favourite move - flipped Thug 3 over her shoulder. The muscles in her arms and back burned as she used the guy's 200+ lbs against him. Thug 2, who she believed Marsh had called Luis, aimed a punch at her chest. Easily blocking it, Gaia spun round and chopped him at the base of his skull. Instantly, his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the ground, his head smacking against the tarmac with a dull thud.

The air burst out of her lungs. Thug 1 had recovered and thumped his foot into her stomach. Losing balance, Gaia fell backwards onto Thug 3's prone form with a grunt. Pain sparked up her spine as her back slammed into his shoulder. Breathing hard, Gaia blinked heavily, scanning the car park trying to see where Thug 1 had gone.

Air burned up her windpipe again. Thug 1 stood about three feet in front of her, knife in hand. She knew she should be scared, or worried or at least pissed off. But all she felt was calm.

3 FEET. 2 FEET. 1 FOOT. Gaia counted each step Thug 1 took towards her, each step that closed the distance between where he stood and where she lay on the ground. The orange glow cast over the car park from a nearby lamp highlighted the twisted grin that had become his blooded face. He thought he had her cornered. How wrong was he.

Planting her hands on the hard ground, Gaia finished her countdown; zero. Kicking up her feet, Gaia snapped her boots over the blade of the knife in Thug 1's tight grip and pulled. The knife slipped from his grasp as if it was as slimy as he was.

She sprung up, her shoulders squared and her stance solid. Her heart was pounding fast, pushing blood through her veins and drugging her with oxygen. A slight smile tugged at her lips: Thug 1 looked pissed off having been attacked back so easily.

Surprise slammed through her brain and her world spun. Breathing heavily, she tried to understand what had happened. Turning her head, she saw Thug 1 sprawled on the tarmac next to her. _The idiot threw both of us to the ground!_ Gaia rolled over and crawled towards Thug 1. She saw fear fill his eyes as she kneeled in front of him.

Gaia smirked.

She thrust her fist into his head, knocking him unconscious. And with that, she let her body relax.

ED DID NOT REGISTER MOVING FROM HIS SPOT BEHIND THE CAR UNTIL HE WAS CROUCHED ON THE GROUND BESIDE GAIA'S COLLAPSED FORM. Gently, he brushed back a stray strand of her hair that had fallen across her half-close eyes. A lazy smile danced over her lips as her eyes fluttered open to look at him and mutter, "You know, I think I will never tire of kicking ass."

A warm feeling ignited in his chest and seeped through his arms and legs. Shaking his head in amused disbelief, Ed felt a light chuckle rose up his throat. In the few seconds it had taken Ed to move to Gaia's side, the tension that had locked his body had melted into relief, causing his once solidness to shake. It was almost as if the worry had consumed all his strength and left him weak. All he could do was sit down next to Gaia and stare at her alive and safe.

Ed's inner calm faded as he watched Gaia's eyes darken. His last piece of peace disappeared as Gaia turned her serious eyes to him. "Ed, why are you here?"

Ed choked a little. "Um, you asked me to come remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Gaia replied steadily. Shifting slightly next to him, she stopped looking at him, a frown drawing her eyebrows together. "But you didn't have to."

Confusion coiled inside him. She was the one who had asked him to come. Was she the one about to decide that he should leave? Ed didn't know. All he knew was that she seemed sad even though she was desperately trying to appear strong.

Gaia sighed, then turned to look back at him. "You know what my life is like. You know it's this mess, this huge mess. Why would you want to be a part of this mess again? I don't understand why."

Something in Ed's chest expanded. Sitting in front of him was the most honest and vulnerable Gaia he had ever met.

"Yes, I know," Ed replied slowly. "But you're not the only one who has lived through some drama. Both of us have lived through some damn crazy stuff." Ed paused, unsure he should say the next bit. Though Gaia had just willing showed him a piece of her heart, he wondered if this would be a step too far. But then again, ever since he had arrived he had been pushing at and bending the rules and barriers they seemed to have created. Ed took a deep breath; it was time to break away from all their crap. "I came because ever since you left I have thought about you every single day."

Gaia smiled. "I missed you too."

GAIA WINCED AS ONE OF THE THUGS MOANED. The sound of him groaning awoke the pain puncturing her back. God, she really needed a long hot shower. She could almost feel the steaming water soaking her skin and soothing her muscles. Carefully she stood up and stared down at the three things standing between her and her relaxation. As if reading her mind, Ed said, "Shall we get out of here then?"

Gaia nodded absently. "Yeah, in a minute." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. Her fingers automatically punched in the memory burnt numbers. She lifted the phone to her ear, only having to listen to a couple of rings before her call was answered. "Hello Special Agent Bishop. This is Agent Moore calling. I have something to tell you."


	9. 9 A Couple Thousand Words Later

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this part is so late, but I have been busy with exams recently.

A COUPLE THOUSAND WORDS LATER

SHE TOOK SIP, TASTING THE BITTER TANG OF COFFEE ON HER TONGUE. Even after adding two creams and three sugars to the dark liquid, it still looked like and tasted like motor oil. Normally she bought coffee from a cafe in town, but it was 5am and she was tired so the campus cafeteria had to make do. Gaia tried to stifle a yawn and downed half her blistering coffee in one gulp. Then again the cafeteria coffee had probably burnt off all her tastebuds so she really wasn't qualified to judge its taste.

Gaia sat her mug down and looked across the table at Ed. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and the excess caffeine he was pouring into his system was making a muscle in his jaw jump.

He looked how she felt: absolutely exhausted and completely drained.

Neither of them had had a second of sleep, instead they had sat down and answered a never-ending list of questions about the attack outside the museum. Gaia knew that telling Agent Bishop all about it was the right thing to do - in fact it was probably the first time she had ever really done what was expected of her as an FBI - but her constant yawns disagreed along with the dull throbbing of her head. And though she could easily go and lie down on her bed, her mind was having problems in switching off and forgetting the night's events.

_// FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON ED HAD A SMALL STASH OF STRING IN THE BACK OF HIS CAR. Though there was probably some entertainingly strange story behind its presence, Gaia couldn't be bothered to get Ed to tell it to her. All she cared about was that the string was strong enough to tie the hands and feet of the thugs who had unsuccessfully taken her out._

_Gaia stood up, brushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes, and surveyed the three men flailing about at her feet. God they looked pathetic, like beetles stuck on their backs waiting for some little boy to squish them._

_"So how long until Agent Bishop gets here?"_

_Ed's voice was calm, but his eyes stayed carefully focused on the bound men. A flash of guilt bit through her to see his unease. The problem was she needed Ed to stay put, but she knew even is she did ask him leave he wouldn't._

_"A minute or two."_

_Ed nodded vaguely. "Right." He flinched as one of the thugs grunted from the ground. "Good." _

_Gaia turned away from Ed and refocused on the thugs. Exhaling slowly, Gaia relaxed her shoulders, releasing the tension along with her breath. She knew that she should talk to Ed - the one she had learnt in the past months was that bottling up feelings just caused big explosions - but what she really needed to do was make sure the assholes who had attacked ended up right where they belonged, or it wouldn't just be Ed she would have to be worried about._

_OKAY, HE ADMITTED IT, HE WAS WORRIED. Though why he wasn't sure. He had seen Gaia knock down men twice the size of these ones _and_ in half the time, so really if one of them managed to somehow break his bindings and leap up, he would be back down on his ass again in no time. That Ed was sure of. So why couldn't he stop his heart freezing every time one of them so much as breathed?_

_Maybe it was because it was the first time he had had to hang around after the fight instead of trooping off to the nearest cafe for a double cream hot chocolate to calm his nerves. _Okay Fargo, once we finally get out of here the first thing you are doing is buying a box full of doughnuts.

_Ed winced; one of the thugs moaned again._

_When was this minute going to end? He was in desperate need of chocolate comfort._

_GENERALLY ED ASSOCAITED THE POLICE AND OTHER BADGES WITH BAD THINGS. Just the sight of one dug up the memory of getting busted for skating on private property. In the end the cop had just let him off with a warning, but that didn't stop his mother from grounding him for two months, two months that were meant to be his summer holiday. Prior to his accident, they had been the worst two months of his life. So when a woman with a severe haircut and just as severe expression emerged from a car topped with a flashing light - he guessed that she was the Agent Bishop Gaia had talked to on the phone - Ed started wondering if somehow one of the thugs had hit him on the head because all he felt was _relieved

_"Agent Moore, I trust that these are the men you told me about?"_

_Gaia nodded curtly in response. "Yes they are."_

_"Right then." Agent Bishop turned round and signalled to the six suited men behind her. Immediately they stepped forwards, picked up the thugs from the ground and pulled them towards the van they had originally appeared from._

_The whole thing was like an action sequence out of a movie. Yet again, most of the things that happened to him whilst with Gaia felt like they were from a movie script_

_Ed was roused from his stupor by Agent Bishop's eyes on him. _

_"Mr Fargo, I am Agent Bishop. I presume you are unhurt by the incident."_

_"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied weakly. A badge was asking him if he was okay? This had to be a first._

_"Good. This is your car?" _

_"Yeah. It didn't fair as well as I did though."_

_Agent Bishop's eyes flicked between his face and the smashed window. "If you bare with us a moment, Mr Smith will make sure your car is fit for driving back to the campus. He will also be happy to replace your window for you."_

_Ed swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. "Thanks. Thank you."_

_She nodded and spun on her heal. Pausing briefly next to Gaia, she said, "I suggest you and your friend return to the base ASAP. I want this dealt with sooner rather than later," before striding back to her car._

_HIS CAR WAS STUFFY WITH SILENCE AGAIN. _Is there a virus in here or something?_ Ed pondered as he stopped at a set of traffic lights. He could feel a bad case of the deja vus coming on. Again, there were a hundred things he wanted to say but didn't know how to voice a single one. Plus the bonbon in his mouth tasted more sour than sweet._

_"I'm sorry today ended so crappy." _

_Ed turned at the sound of Gaia's voice. She was staring out the window, scowling at the space outside, almost as if she hadn't said anything at all._

_"It's not so bad. The day needed to end with bang. Otherwise I would think that you had gone mellow in your old age."_

_Gaia grunted. Clearly his tease hadn't be very funny. Ed sighed and looked up at the light. It was green._

_Ed pulled out from the junction and drove the final few roads to the base. He flashed his temporary ID at the entrance then pulled up into a space he found. Killing the engine he let the rumbles fill the silence._

_"I had to call Agent Bishop." Gaia's quiet voice filled the car, each word erasing all other noise. "I couldn't...I couldn't just let them go." She broke off, seemly struggling with some thought. She then turned and looked directly at Ed. "Those men are part of a terrorist group I dealt with a few months back. They're serious stuff." Gaia exhaled. "Sorry but Agent Bishop is going to want a statement from you, and she likes her statements detailed."_

_Ed's stomach sunk slightly. He had guessed they would want to question him. Night was going to be a long night. Gaia leaned over and placed a hand on his arm. "Come on. Let's go."_

_GAIA SAT DOWN WITH HER SPINE RAMROD STRAIGHT, MATCHING THE EFFICIENCY THAT AGENT BISHOP WAS TRIDING AROUND THE ROOM WITH. Gaia had been in charge of the Lollipop Murderer case, writing up all the case notes and documenting each finding, but there was something about this case, this particular terrorist group, that seemed more official. It was almost ironic that she had originally dealt with Socorro by accident._

_Agent Bishop slapped down a pile of papers she had pulled from one of the filing cabinets then reached into the top drawer of her desk and lifted out a small, black cassette recorder. She neatly sat on the chair behind her desk and clicked the recorder on. The interview had begun._

**FBI Interview Transcript  
Audio File #186J7  
AGENTS: Jennifer Bishop, Gaia Moore (interviewee)  
SUBJECT: Local Socorro attack on Agent Moore  
SECURITY: Classified**

BISHOP: This is Special Agent Jennifer Bishop, ID code G44  
MOORE: Agent Gaia Moore.  
BISHOP: I am about to interview Agent Moore about a personalised attack against her by members of the terrorist group Socorro, that took place today, here in Quantico.  
MOORE: Confirmed.  
BISHOP: Before we start I think it should be duly noted that you, Agent Moore, have been on temporary leave, and your status as an FBI Agent was reinstated at 2232 hours today.  
Now Gaia, I know you have already told me what happened tonight - said conversation being audio file #186J6 - but I need you to tell me again, but this time in as much detail and accuracy as possible. You think you can do that?  
MOORE: Yes, I think I can...

**continued on next page**

_HE WAS BORED. He could feel his eyelids trying to close, a feeling he had often had during lessons at high school while his teacher waffled on. Earlier that evening hadn't been that bad. An Agent had got him to write down a novel's worth of personal details along with fingerprints and a mug shot as part of the FBI interview records, and then he had been asked to identify the men who had been in the museum's car park earlier that night. Straightforward and simple. He had then been directed into this little room, and Agent What's-His-Name had begun his cycle of asking him again and again to relay what had happened. Ed was half-surprised that the man hadn't bored himself to death. Though his drawn-out manner would at least explain why he looked about 70 years old though Ed was sure he was actually half that age._

_His mind was starting to go fuzzy round the edges, as if someone had taken an eraser to his head and slowly rubbed it round his ears for the past three - or was it four? - hours. And Ed was sure it was the same person who was forcing his eyelids down against his will._

**FBI Interview Transcript  
Audio File #186J8  
AGENTS: David Walters  
CIVILIANS: Mr Edward Fargo (interviewee)  
SUBJECT: Local Socorro attack on Agent Moore  
SECURITY: Classified**

**NOTES: Accompanying audio file is #186J7**

**continued from previous page**

WALTER: Mr Fargo, can you please tell me again what happened tonight outside the Community Museum, here in Quantico.  
FARGO: But I've already told you five times! I really don't think there is anything I can say that I haven't told you already.  
Gaia and I came out of the museum. I found that my car window was smashed, which was clearly just a distraction those men had created so that they could attack Gaia. They fought, Gaia neutralised them then called Agent Bishop to tell her what went down.  
WALTER: Alright, if you're sure there is nothing else you would like to add to your statement...  
FARGO: I'm sure.  
WALTER: Agent David Walters ending interview with Mr Edward Fargo.

**/transcript**

_GAIA EXITED THE ROOM IN A DAZE. Maybe it was just lack of sleep that was fuzzing up her brain; but then again it could be because of the conversation she had just had with Agent Bishop. Though it was probably a combination of the fact that was now a couple of hours later and a couple thousand words later. Pausing just outside the door, Gaia let herself yawn the yawn she had felt building up for the past half-hour. God, she felt drained._

_"Hey Gaia. You've finished."_

_Gaia turned to see Ed standing at the other end of the corridor. She gave her limbs a quick stretched then slowly walked down the hall to him. "Yep. All done," she replied. "You survived okay."_

_"Just," Ed said flashing her a quick smile. "You alright? You look..."_

_"I'm fine, just..." Gaia wasn't sure what to say next. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling. Sifting through her thoughts she settled on the most appropriate word she came across. "Surprised. Agent Bishop offered me the chance to work on the Socorro case."_

_When Agent Bishop said that she and Agent Malloy had thought that 'after having such a direct connection with this particular group that she would be a useful asset in terms of dealing with them and neutralising their efforts' Gaia was sure her eyes had widened into perfect circles. She couldn't believe that they were offering her such a chance._

_"That's great!" Ed exclaimed, his excited voice making a vein in her head throb._

_"Um, yeah. They want me to start work on it tomorrow."_

_"Tomorrow?" Ed frowned, and Gaia watched as he slowly let the hidden meaning of this news sink in. "Huh, guess my visit has just reached it's end."_

_Gaia sighed. After having asked him to visit she really didn't want to have to ask him to leave. "Afraid so. Agent Bishop doesn't want you getting mixed up with this case. She thinks you would be better of at home."_

_Ed nodded._

_"Come on," Gaia said, glancing at the guard standing nearby. "Let's go back to my room."// _

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: I plan to write only one more chapter, so if there's anything you think should be included in it, please let me know.


	10. 10 The Clock Ticking On The Wall

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was going to be the last chapter, but as I couldn't fit everything I wanted to in it, there is going to be one more chapter.

THE CLOCK TICKING ON THE WALL

_// SHE HAD ALWAYS HATED PACKING, BUT WATCHING SOMEONE ELSE DOING IT WAS TEN TIMES WORSE. It signified the end._

_Gaia sighed and leaned back until her back rested against the wall as Ed stuffed his last stray sock into his bag. It was strange, she thought, the one time she didn't pack led her here, to this place, this new life. Only this place, this life didn't seem so new now. No longer could she draw a line between now and then. New life was smudging into the old, becoming one big blur, and everything was starting to become all too real. The problem was that Gaia was sure it was Ed who was smearing her line, but she didn't have the courage to tell him to stop. No, not courage: fear._

_ED SAT DOWN ON THE BED OPPOSITE TO GAIA. She had been unusually quiet, and even now he had finished picking up his stuff that had mysteriously moved around the room, she was making no move to talk. Deciding that there had been enough silences between them that day, Ed grabbed at the first thought he had. "So, these Scorro people-"_

_"Socorro," Gaia corrected him._

_"Right. You've dealt with them before?"_

_Gaia nodded. Ed waited to see if she was going to say anything, but she just sat there looking sad. Fearing the next silence, Ed ploughed on with his questions. "Were you working a case?"_

_Suddenly Gaia looked rather embarrassed. "No...not officially anyway." _

_Ed smirked. "Not officially, eh? Nice to know you still have your vigilante streak."_

_Gaia ducked her head, the sadness slowly shoving all new emotions away. Ed sighed and stared out the window instead, as looking at Gaia was becoming too laborious. Clearly this conversation was over before it started. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the book he and pulled from under the mattress the other night: Advanced Alogorithims. He presumed it had once belonged to Catherine, Gaia's one time roommate. _

_Ed snapped his full attention to the book. Kim had told him that Catherine was part of a terrorist group. No he had to be wrong, but maybe... "Was Catherine a member of Socorro?"_

_HAD HE REALLY JUST SAID THAT? Gaia blinked hard then swallowed hard. "What did you say?"_

_"Your...your ex-roommate, Catherine. Was she? Was she part of Socorro?" Ed shifted uncomfortably as he tripped over the words he had already said. Gaia felt a flicker of regret for making him feel uneasy, but she had to be sure. She had to be._

_"How...?" Gaia shook her head, willing the words to come. The questions. How on earth did Ed found out?_

_"I'm sorry, but I asked Kim about her," Ed said quickly. "I was just curious as to what happened to your roommate, that's all." Ed looked directly at her, and Gaia felt her regret multiply as she saw the guilt and remorse in his eyes._

_"That's...that's okay." Gaia swallowed hard again. There was no reason for her to hold back anymore._

_The words just began falling from her lips. It was as if the dam that was her mouth had broken and she no longer had any control as what rushed out of it._

_And as the words poured out, she could feel the anger build inside her. She had let herself trust again. After __Tatanyia and Sklyer she should have learnt. But she hadn't. She didn't. She had just let people get close to her, people that only wanted her for her fearlessness. Nothing else. _

_She suddenly felt the sting of tears. But that wasn't true. Ed, who was sitting right in front of her, was proof of that. He knew nothing about her unique genetic make up, and yet he stood by her no matter what. _

_As if proof of her thoughts, a look of sadness had stolen over Ed's features as she had talked. With the end of her story still ringing in the air, Ed said, "I'm sorry."_

_Gaia half shook her head. "Don't be. It's Catherine should be feeling sorry for. She's the one Marsh damaged, not me." Gaia rose from the bed and brushed her hair back, as if the action would also push back her bitter memories. "You know if you don't get moving soon Agent Bishop will start to think you're planning on staying here. And I doubt that being forced to joining the FBI isn't part of your plans."_

_Ed seemed to take a second to catch up with Gaia's sudden switch of subject. "No, not really," he replied, and with a heavy feeling weighing in her chest, Gaia watched as Ed picked up his bag and moved towards the bedroom door._

_JUST LIKE WHEN HE HAD ARRIVED, MS 'WELCOME' WAS SITTING BEHIND HER DESK LOOKING LIKE SHE BELONGED BEHIND THE DESK IN A BEAUTY SALON AND NOT THE BUREAU. As he approached her desk, she lifted her mascaraed eyes and smiled her glossed lips. "Leaving already Mr Fargo?"_

_She even had the voice of a sexed-up receptionist. Why she was here he didn't know - she really belonged in New York along with all the fantastic phony girls who lived there. He bet his sister would just love her._

_"Yeah," Ed replied ruefully, glancing back at Gaia who was fiddling with a giant knot in her hair. "I'm afraid so."_

_"Too bad," Ms 'Welcome' simpered. "Oh well. If you just wait a moment Agent Wheeler will come and see you off."_

_Ed nodded a thank you and she gave him a smile before returning to tapping her acrylic nails against her computer keyboard. Running a hand over his head, Ed bit back a sigh. He really wished he wasn't leaving already. Spinning on his heal, he walked over to Gaia who hadn't moved from next to the door._

_"I've got to wait for some Agent Wheeler before I can get my show on the road."_

_"Um, okay," Gaia grunted as she gave one last pull on her tangled locks. Despite her somewhat messy appearance she still looked more beautiful than the overdone receptionist did. "Um, once you're done here do you fancy getting a coffee?" Gaia continued having turned her steel gaze away from her offending hair to him. "Talking to Agent Wheeler isn't the best send off. In fact if you stay awake long enough for him just to say 'goodbye' I'd be impressed."_

_"I think I'll cope," Ed chuckled. "After all I've had years of survival practice in high school for this sort of thing."_

_Gaia made an expression half way between amused and down right disbelieving. "Uh huh. Cos the Bureau and high school are so similar."_

_Feeling an odd pop inside his chest, Ed replied with, "They don't seem that different to me."_

_"MR FARGO?" Ed turned his head to see a bespectacled man standing to his left. "I'm Agent Wheeler."_

_Time suddenly oddly divided and Gaia felt very far away. In a blink, his conversation with Gaia changed to taking place years ago - and once again Ed found himself in some sort of time whorp._

_"Oh. Hi."_

_Agent Wheeler gave him a strained smile in response to his greeting. "If you could please follow me, I would like to do this as quickly as possible."_

_"Right," Ed said, then turned back round to look at Gaia. She gave him a reassuring nod, and said, "I'll wait here until you're done." Ed gave her a fleeting smile then followed Agent Wheeler into a neighbouring room._

_The room was almost identical to the one he had been herded into when he had arrived at the FBI base: a large table took up most of the space with a couple of cheap looking chairs placed around it, and a lone filling cabinet was stuffed into the corner next to a dull plastic phone that hung on the wall. Ed sat himself down on one of the chairs, feeling it creak under him, as Agent Wheeler dragged out a paper file and laptop from his bag and set them on the table. As soon as he had flipped open the file, Agent Wheeler began reeling off a series of questions in a bored tone and with each answer Ed gave - his name, his age, his address, his life history - he tapped at the keys on his laptop. Ed shuffled in his seat, an uncomfortable ache filling his head - his body - as he looked up to the clock ticking on the wall. It was turning out to be worse than queuing in Wal-Mart; everything was moving too fast too slowly. He had wanted them to spend his last few hours in Quantico together - after all who knew when he would next see her? - but instead he had been sitting in a room with a man who looked like he would crumple if you just blew on him for the past hour._

_The click of a laptop shutting pulled Ed out of his fog. _

_"Okay Mr Fargo, I have asked you everything I need to." Ed could almost feel the relief rush through him, as Agent Wheeler said those words. A feeling that was short lived. "However," Agent Wheeler continued, "Special Agent Malloy would like a few words with you before you leave." _

_"HELLO MR FARGO, I'M SPECIAL AGENT MALLOY." Ed looked up from the sturdy hand being held in front of him to the stern eyes staring down at him. "I hope you don't mind, but I will be seeing you off the site instead of Agent Wheeler."_

_It had been mere moments after Agent Wheeler had said Malloy's name that him left the room and the Special Agent entered._

_The second Malloy stepped into the room Ed felt nervous. There was something about his sharp suit and slicked back hair that gave off the air of intolerance - one false move and Malloy would not be waving him off site but would be throwing him off._

_Cautiously, Ed shook Malloy's extended hand. "Erm, that's okay...Sir."_

_Malloy pinned Ed with a stare that, if possible, made him feel even more tense. "I'm going to cut to the chase Mr Fargo. While here in Qunatico, visiting Agent Moore, you have been exposed to some highly classified information concerning a group called Socorro. As I'm sure you know, Socorro is a very powerful and very dangerous terrorist group and we have yet to neutralise them. However, until we manage that, the FBI would like to keep their existence quiet. I'm sure you can imagine the panic it would cause if the public knew about them." Malloy glared at Ed as he said the last sentence, as if challenging him to say otherwise. "In short, I would like you to refrain from relaying anything you may have learnt while here to anyone. Or otherwise there will be severe consequences."_

_Instantly, as the word "consequences" had filled the air, Malloy's stare softened. "Okay, Mr Fargo, that is all I wanted to say to you. I hope you have a safe journey room." _

_And with that forced goodbye, Agent Malloy left the room leaving a thoroughly rattled Ed behind. //_

ED HAD HOPED THAT SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED SUGAR WOULD HELP EASE HIS MIND, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, IT WAS DOING NOTHING. Sluggishly, Ed wondered if he had put sugar in his coffee then his mind wouldn't still be swarming with everything Gaia and Agent Malloy had said to him that morning. Though Malloy's words had been ominous to say the least, it was what Gaia had told him that bothered him the most.

It had turned out that Catherine had infiltrated the FBI in the hope that becoming Gaia's friend would enable her to recruit Gaia as a member of her father's terrorist team. _Sounds like something out of a sci-fi book_, Ed mused. Though if he was honest with himself, he could understand why Marsh had wanted Gaia. Not only was she super strong with a wit to match, she had a courageous quality that Ed had never seen in anybody else. In short, she would be the perfect warrior. The only problem was that Gaia had an iron clad hold on morality and would never let it break. Despite her many flaws, Gaia always believed in doing what was right. What was for the greater good. And it was a shame that someone would want to break that hold, because it was one of the things that he loved most about her.

Ed glanced up at the big clock that was set on the cafeteria wall just above the vending machines at the back. The hands showed that it was just past 5am. Ed sighed. He didn't want to leave, but he couldn't really put off going much longer.


	11. 11 Her Secret

HER SECRET

THE SKY HAD CLOUDED OVER; BLOCKING OUT THE WEAK SUNLIGHT THAT NORMALLY MADE THE MORNING CRISP AND CLEAR. It was almost as if the gods had used her feelings as the basis for the day's weather. Looking up at darkening clouds, Gaia was pretty certain they would start weeping as soon as Ed drove away.

The slam of the car door closing - Ed had taken one look outside and decided to stow his bag safely in the back of his car before doing anything else - brought Gaia's eyes crashing back down to earth. With an odd pang, she noticed that the car window looked like it had never been broken.

"They fixed the window well, didn't they?"

Ed glanced back at his car. "Yeah, they did. I must say I'm glad I didn't have to go to a garage to get it sorted or otherwise it would have cost a fortune! You wouldn't believe the rip off some places are."

Gaia nearly laughed. Despite the mind bending past couple of days, Ed still managed to focus on the normal and make the most insane of incidents seem mundane. Then again, Ed had always been the type of person who would process an event and be ready for next before she had even begun dealing. Gaia's smile grew at the thought: Ed, ever the trooper.

"You sure you don't want some rest before you go?" Gaia knew there was no point in asking this question as she had already asked it twice before that morning, but she wanted to keep the conversation going to that the end didn't come so quickly.

Just like before, Ed shook his head. "No. I think it would be better if I covered a fair amount of distance before the morning rush. I'll just stop at a motel when I get tired."

And then the end was there, the one she had been trying to force back, and it was time to say goodbye. She had already said it once years ago and it had broke her heart. Now, after the motional roller-coaster she had just been on, still was on, she was sure that one more soul spinning bend would break it again.

"Gaia, make me a promise."

Her heart froze. Those were not the words she had been expecting, but they still hit her hard. She wasn't a fan of promises - people always broke them - but if making one meant that Ed stood in front of her for a little longer then she would, because she was soon discovering she wasn't a fan of Ed leaving either.

"Yeah, okay. What is it?"

"Promise me you'll call more often than once every four years."

She couldn't stop the full-blown smile that beamed off her face. "Yeah, I can do that."

Ed smiled back at her, and the only thing she could think about was how happy he looked.

IT WAS AN ALMOST PERFECT MOMENT THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO SPOIL. As it was they had barely ever had any kind of perfect moments or even particularly great moments. Gaia was smiling at him, _really_ smiling at him, and looked like a goddess with her golden hair shining against the grey sky. It was a Kodak moment he wanted to remember forever. But Ed knew he had to say, _ask_, this one last thing, be damned the consequences even if that meant killing the smile on Gaia's face.

"Gaia, last night - actually the night before last night - you said that I'm your best friend," he said carefully. "Am I? Am I...Do you still think of me as your best friend?"

Gaia stared at him in silence. She seemed to be studying him, half-wondering if he had really just asked that, her smile slowly fading with each passing second. "Of course you are. Why else would I phone you after four years of nothing? Why else would you come visit me? That's only the sort of thing family and best friends do."

And it was true. Despite the four years apart, it felt like no time had passed at all. Yes, he was most definitely still her best friend.

IT WAS TIME. She had been avoiding this moment for far too long, when in reality she should never had tried to delay it, to stop it happening at all. Ed deserved so much better than that. He deserved the truth.

Gaia took a deep breath. She was going to tell him her secret.

"Ed, there's something I want to tell you."

Ed's smile wavered into worry. He stared at her in silence for a second, frown lines forming between his brows, then gestured for her to sit on the bonnet of his car.

Gaia shivered as the cold metal of the car leaked inside her jeans. As she wrapped her arms round herself, Ed settled down beside her. Gaia felt a rush of warmth as Ed pushed his thigh flush against hers. Suddenly she felt caught between the need to tighten her hold over her heart and the desire to reach out and hold Ed's hand.

"Okay. What do you want to tell me?"

Gaia turned to look at Ed and every one of the words she had planned to say froze in her throat. Memories of that day weeks, months, ago flashed through her mind. And suddenly instead of seeing Ed's eternally optimistic grin, she saw Will's confident smirk. A pang shot through her.

Telling him her secret had made them closer, so close that just thinking his name now was a slap to her heart. Telling him her secret had magically made the space that had been pushing them apart disappear. From then on he no longer had to waste his energy worry unnecessarily about her and she no longer had to waste her energy hiding the truth to him. It had balanced the bond between them, something she had never managed successfully with everyone else.

But in the end he had still wound up dead like the rest. Despite being fearless, she had failed to save him.

_No_, Gaia told herself, _he didn't die because I'm fearless. He died because of my many other flaws_.

Gaia swallowed round the lump in her throat.

"What I want to tell you, you'll either wonder why I didn't tell you earlier or you'll just think I'm crazy. Probably the later."

Ed looked confused, but nodded anyway. The one simple movement motivated Gaia into continuing - if he could trust her so unequivocally, then maybe he would believe what she had to say.

"I didn't tell you the real reason why Catherine tried to recruit me for her father's distructo team. The same reason why Skyler Rodke tried to become my friend. Actually it's the reason for most of the drama in my life," Gaia confessed. "It's because I can't feel fear. I'm genetically incapable of feeling fear. It's some sort of genetic defect I've had since I was born. Anyway, that's why. _Everyone wants a piece of the fearless girl_."

As soon as she stopped talking, Gaia had to fight down the urge to be sick. Pushing back a wave of nausea, Gaia turned to look at Ed again. And immediately had to force pass another wave of nausea.

His face was blank, completely devoid of emotion, as if her words had made him comatose. With a sickening sense of irony, Gaia thought that if she hadn't been fearless his reaction would've been making her shit scared.

WHY WAS SHE SAYING ALL THIS CRAP? Had she been so open and honest that she felt the need to tell a big old fat lie to rebalance her inner true-fake seesaw? Or was she just crazy, having finally lost it after all the madass stuff that had happened to her? Ed didn't know, and frankly he didn't care. It may have taken three years but it had seemed that they had finally cut through the crap that surrounded the waste that was their relationship. Only Gaia was now trying to heap a new load of trash between them and turn them into two people whom didn't know one real thing about the other.

"Fearless? You're joking right?" Ed felt a sharp stab at the sound of his own bitter anger. "Brave, yes. Fearless, -"

Gaia cut across him. "No, I'm _not_ joking. And bravery has nothing to do with this. Bravery is overcoming your fear, _not_ not feeling fear in the first place."

Ed felt his anger boil. He had heard some of the most fake things in his life - many of them coming out of his ex-girlfriend Heather's mouth - but this really topped them all. "But I've seen you scared! When you visited me at the hospital after Kai and I got attacked. _You were scared_."

For a split second Gaia looked sad, then her solid facade was back in place. "Yeah. I was."

Ed stalled for a beat, utterly confused. "So what the hell are you talking about?!"

"Genetic therapy," Gaia replied without even blinking. "I saw a chance to be normal and I took it." A wry smile appeared on her face. "Turned out though that I'm not meant to be normal. The therapy only lasted a few days, then I was back to being fearless me. Not that I care. After 17 years of never being scared I couldn't deal with being able to feel fear. The smallest thing would scare me. Embarrassing really."

_Oh God._

His memories shifted. Ed had never understood her behaviour during those weeks between his attack and the prom. But here was an explanation, which as crazy as it was, fitted. He would have to have been blind not to notice that at the time her emotions had been all over the place...

It had been just before the attack; they had not talked in weeks when Gaia had suddenly sat down next to him on a bench in the park and asked if she could change one thing about herself, should she do it even if that change would be forever? Ed had replied that she should, but only if it would make her happy...

"How did you manage to get gene therapy?"

Gaia's eyes shot up and stared into his. He could see the uncertainty in them, but not one single hint that she was lying. "Through an associate of Rodke Pharmaceuticals."

It all fell sickeningly into place. During those weeks before prom, Gaia had been stumbling down a winding path that had taken her to Skyler Rodke. Ed knew that Gaia would have been the first to see through his lies and discover the dirty drugs his family was making - so the only reason why she would have failed to see the signs would have been if she had been too scared too. And the only reason why they would have wanted to make a fearless girl frightened was -

"They wanted you to perfect their Invince drug. To make people truly fearless."

Gaia nodded, her eyes wide. "You believe me?"

"Yes. I do," Ed said. Considering everything about Gaia was crazy, then her being fearless might as well be normal.

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I've done it again! As you will already know this was going to be the last chapter, but like with chapter 10 I couldn't fit in everything I wanted, so there is still one more chapter to come!


	12. 12 A SeeYouLater

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here it is, the end! Hope you like it.

A SEE-YOU-LATER

THE THICK SPLOT OF RAIN LANDED ON HER KNEE. The tiny drop of water was dark against her jeans, marring the perfect blue. Gaia glanced up - the sullen sky was finally making good on its promise of rain. But as she felt a drop on her nose she found that she didn't care. Despite the heaviness of the air she couldn't recall the last time she had felt so light. Dully, she remembered how people in New York always became as grey as the sky every time it rained; everything became dirtier and stained. It had been the same in California. Rain broke the endless sunshine days and leaked everyone's endless happiness over the faded pavements. But here, in Quantico, it was different. The rain refreshed, it cleaned. And while it marked the end of Ed visit it also marked the beginning of their new friendship. She had been so busy clinging onto the broken remains of what they had had back in New York, that she had failed to see until moments ago that she had the ability to fill the cracks and give their whole friendship a dusting. It had been so simple. She just had to be honest, completely honest, with herself and him.

_Well_, Gaia thought, _I might as well continue with this honesty thing_. Turning to Ed, she smiled and said the one thing she really wanted to say: "I'm glad you came." Ed smiled back, his face lighting up against the darkening sky. "I'm glad too."

It really was as simple as that.

ED SLID OFF THE CAR BONNET, SMOOTHLY MOVING TO STAND ON THE RAIN SPOTTED TARMC.

"I kinda wish I wasn't about to say this, but I think it's time I left unless I want Agent Malloy personally kicking my ass out of the car park."

One of the old tears in Gaia's heart suddenly split open. She had seen this sad smile before, heard this resigned tone, and Gaia was back in the side street off 47th looking at a younger Ed who was trying not to say goodbye. But like back then, Gaia knew they needed to part so that they could continue to grow, even if parting tore them apart for a while.

In a blink Gaia slid off the car as well and wrapped her arms around Ed. Ignoring the raindrop slowly sliding down his ear, Gaia buried her face in the curve of his neck, letting his warmth soak into her and her soft memories of him.

"I'll miss you," she whispered. "I _missed_ you."

Ed's arms tightened his arms around her waist, and Gaia felt him press his face into her hair. "I missed you too."

For a long, luxurious moment they clung onto each other, breathing in deeply as if trying to commit the smell - the essence - of the other to memory to help tide them over until they next saw each other again. Slowly, Gaia pulled back slightly but did not loosen her hold round Ed's neck. For a second she stared into the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen, then leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his. Briefly she wondered if she had broken the last wall between them or if she had finally pushed them over the edge, then she felt his lips part under hers, his fingers curl into her hips, and she didn't care.

His lips are soft and hard, and his tongue tastes of coffee and _him_. Gaia sighed as she let herself relearn the feel of him beneath her lips, beneath her hands. She ran her hands across his shoulders, then down his back and felt Ed sigh under her splayed fingers.

Finally Gaia pulled her lips back from his, feeling heat rise in her cheeks as she noted the redness of his.

"Gaia, you know you're making it really hard for me to say goodbye, don't you?" Ed said with a slightly chuckle.

Gaia shook her head. "But this isn't goodbye. This is a see-you-later," Gaia corrected, her smile becoming more of a smirk. "I promised to call you more than once every four years, didn't I? And well I was planning on working another visit into that promise."

Ed chuckled again. "Really?"

Gaia nodded. There was a spark in Ed's eye and Gaia could tell that instead of just being on the same page, they were now on the same sentence.

Ed's lifted his hands to her face and softly brushed back her rain tangled hair, leaving a trail of goosebumps that clearly had nothing to do with the dropping temperature.

"I'll see you later Gaia."

AS ED CLIMBED INTO HIS CAR HE COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT THREE WEEKS HAD BEEN STUFFED INTO THE NOT-EVEN-THREE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. It was weird. His life had always been more eventful and crazier than most people's, but the past few days had been a new level of eventful craziness - even with Gaia involved. Ed rubbed his head, it suddenly feeling a bit too full. Craziness aside, what he couldn't understand was how just by asking him to visit - that one single question - had resulted in him getting a whole lotta answers, many of which he didn't even know he had asked the question to. But then again when had he ever truly understood anything relating to Gaia? Basically never.

Ed started the engine, feeling the whole car rumble around him, then pulled out of his parking space. Pausing briefly, Ed looked out of the window. Odd raindrops were dribbling down her neck, her dark grey jumper was turning even darker, and she was smiling. She had never looked so beautiful. Ignoring how corny it was, Ed blew her a kiss through his steamed up glass and watched as her smile became infectious.

Turning the car round, Ed began his way towards the FBI base's exit. It was only once he reached the guard at the gate that he allowed himself to look back.

She was still standing there. She was still smiling.

A LOT LESS THAN FOUR YEARS LATER...

APART FROM A FILM OF FOAM, THE PITCHER WAS EMPTY. Glancing from her glass to Kim's, then to Bradley's and Garrett's, Gaia noticed that they were all just drinking suds, the beer having been already downed. Standing up, Gaia reached for the empty pitcher and picked it up off the water stained table. "I don't know about the rest of you guys but I think we need a round two!"

Gaia paused mid-turn: Kim had placed his palm on her arm, drawing her attention away from the jug in her hand. "We've already had one pitcher, you don't need to buy another," Kim said, obviously having decided to ignore Garrett's appreciative agreement at Gaia's announcement.

"Oh come on Kim, we deserve to celebrate. You deserve to celebrate! You cracked the freaking case!"

Even in the dim light of Johnny Ray's, Gaia could see Kim blush at her praise and smile shyly as he turned to talk to Garrett. Though Kim clearly didn't agree, Gaia felt he deserved every thank you she gave him. It had been on one particularly frustratingly fruitless day that Gaia had given in to Kim's urges to look over her Socorro files. Within minutes of flicking through the papers Kim had turned to her with a brilliant look in his eyes. If it hadn't been for his idea the anti-Socorro team would not have caught Marsh earlier that day.

Gaia quickly squashed down the pang she felt when she thought of Marsh. Whilst she didn't feel sorry for Marsh himself, she wish she hadn't had to take away Catherine's father. Catherine may have been deranged but Gaia knew how hard it was to lose a parent. Gaia took a deep breath and began to wander over to the bar. Tonight she would focus on Kim. Tomorrow she could focus on Catherine.

Reaching the bar, Gaia set down the empty pitcher. She glanced round for a barmaid then smiled brightly as Kelly appeared out of the kitchen. The sound of Bradley's laugh rolled through the bar, filling Gaia with unexpected warmth. It had only been recently that Gaia had really gotten to know Brad, something she regretted as she had quickly discovered that he was kind and caring, with the sharpest wit she knew of. Coming level with where Gaia stood, Kelly cast an eye over to where her friends/fellow FBIs were sitting. Bradley's laugh filled the bar again and Kelly raised an amused eyebrow. "Heya Gaia. Celebrating tonight, are ya?"

Gaia nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well then," Kelly said, swooping the empty pitcher for a clean one, "I'd say that calls for a free round!"

Gaia begun to rebunk her offer but Kelly waved a dismissing hand at her.

It was as Gaia watched Kelly begin to fill the glass with fresh drink that she jolted with surprise as her phone suddenly buzzed. Fishing it out of her pocket she hoped it wasn't work. With a second jolt of surprise Gaia read the caller ID: _Ed_.

She had made good on her promise, emailing and calling him whenever she had a spare second. Ed always responded with enthusiasm, and had recently begun to tell her in detail how his physiotherapy course was going - so far it seemed that Ed was in love with it. Whilst she loved talking to him, with each passing day she found herself increasingly missing him.

"Hey Gaia," Kelly said, cutting across her thoughts. "I'll take this pitcher to your table, you go answer that."

Gaia looked feebly at the pitcher then flashed Kelly a grateful smile. She weaved her way towards the exit, wondering if Kelly knew exactly who was phoning her. Though if the answer was 'yes' Gaia wouldn't have been surprised. After Ed had left, Kelly had practically forced Gaia to tell her all about him. Not that she minded. It was nice to have someone to talk to about things other than work. Gaia pushed through the door and hit 'talk'.

"Hi Ed. How are you?"

"Gaia!" Ed's voice trilled over the phone and straight through her heart. "I'm good thanks. Just wanted to hear your voice. Corny, huh? Anyway, how are you?"

Gaia smiled into the phone - she knew exactly what it felt like to want to hear someone's voice. "I'm good too. Great in fact. We had a bit of a break through with our case today."

"Oh good! That's good," Ed exclaimed. Gaia could hear the smile in his voice and wondered if he had heard her's too. "Okay. I lied."

Gaia stilled. "Lied?"

"I didn't phone just to hear your voice. I phoned because I wanted to ask you a question."

For a second Gaia felt like quoting the first rule of their relationship, then bit her tongue. That was then and this was now. And now was so much better than then. "What's the question?"

"Do you want to come visit me?"

END


End file.
